Guardian of Hope
by 0penfire
Summary: When Hermione told Professor Mcgonagall about Harry's Firebolt, she thought she was protecting him. But when things don't go as planned, she uses her time-turner and has an encounter that she won't ever forget.
1. Bunnymund

Hermione thought she had done the right thing when she told Professor McGonagall about Harry's Firebolt. It had no card or indication of who had sent it and mysterious gifts were often harmful ones in the wizarding world

She repeated this to herself while she held back tears in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"What did you go running to McGonagall for?" Ron shouted. His face was turning red.

Hermione threw the book she had been pretending to read aside.

"Because I thought –and Professor McGonagall agrees with me – that that broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!"

Harry dropped his arms to his side, loosely holding his tin of High-Finish Polish which he had been hoping to use on the broom he no longer had.

"Come on Harry," Ron mumbled. He grabbed Harry by the shoulder and led him to their dorm.

They left Hermione sitting on the couch. Crookshanks crawled onto her lap and she hugged him fiercely, ignoring the meow of discomfort from him.

"I just wanted to help. I wish that I never said anything. Or that he'd never gotten that stupid broom," she whispered into Crookshank's fur.

"That's it!" she said, sitting up suddenly and accidentally throwing her cat to the floor. "Sorry," she apologized briskly and she ran up to the girl's dormitory.

She hadn't been wearing it because she had no classes to attend but the time-turner still sat undisturbed in her bedside table. The sand within the little hourglass was still, and its multi-tiered rings were laid flat.

She grabbed it and before she let herself be persuaded otherwise, wrapped the chain around her neck and turned the dial.

Once. Twice. She turned it until she saw herself walk backwards into bed and pull the covers on herself, and then she turned it three more times for good measure.

"Alright," Hermione told herself quietly. She flinched as her past-self stirred in bed. Easing the door open slowly she snuck down the stairs.

The common room was empty of course but something felt wrong.

"Lumos," she whispered. It took her a few moments to realize why she was on edge - the fire that was always kept stoked was nothing more than coals. "That's strange," she muttered to herself.

"I'd say." Hermione tensed and looked around the common room for the person who had spoken.

She knew Harry and Ron were the only other Gryffindors who had stayed over the holidays – and she didn't know anyone with an Australian accent.

"Over here, sheila."

Hermione used her wand to search the darkness and held a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

Beside the dead fireplace where there had been nothing seconds ago, was a huge grey rabbit looking amused.

"You wizards deal with many strange things, but you lose your marbles over seeing a pooka," he shook his head. "How your lot learned to time-travel, I'll never know."

"You can _talk_?" Hermione gasped.

The bunny raised his eyebrow. "Apparently," then his eyes locked on the time-turner dangling around the girl's neck. With one bound he was right in front of Hermione holding the golden pendant in his large paw.

"Where did an ankle-bitter like you get one of these?" Hermione smacked his furry paw and he let go.

"The better question is how did _you_ get in _here_?" she squeaked, realizing too late that it probably wasn't a good idea to hit a six foot tall animal.

The bunny looked at her as if trying to guess how she would react to whatever he said. "Through one of these." He tapped his foot and a hole appeared in the wooden floor. He stepped into it and vanished. Hermione was about to follow him when it closed leaving a daisy in its place.

"Now how about answering my question?" Hermione jumped backwards with a shriek.

"Stupefy!" The rabbit ducked, ears flattening against his head. The red jet of magic flew over him and into the wall leaving a scorch mark in the red wallpaper.

"What was that for?" He glared at the young witch.

"How did you get behind me?" Her wand was still pointed at him.

"The same way I left." He tapped his foot and hopped into the hole that appeared. This time Hermione saw the second hole appear and the rabbit that came out of it. Although she was admiring the obviously advanced magic, she didn't miss the smug look on the rabbit's face.

After a few moments the smile vanished.

"Okay, enough chit-chat. Where did you get the –"The rabbit stopped mid-sentence to turn and look at the fireplace. Hermione looked too and was shocked to see the dying embers coated with a thick layer of frost. "Just bloody perfect," she heard the rabbit growl before a gust of cold wind came out of the fireplace leaving the room several degrees cooler. The rabbit was glaring at a spot in front of the fire.

"What are you looking at?" Hermione asked. Another gust of wind blew her hair back and she felt really cold.

"Step back Frostbite or she's gonna catch a cold," the rabbit said. Hermione still couldn't see what was causing the temperature drop, but she did feel a bit warmer as if the cold air backed off. She looked down to see two footprints made of frost as if someone had been standing in front of her moments before.

"She's time traveling." Bunnymund said to himself. "Why would I be lying?" He paused and continued talking to himself. "How am I supposed to do that?" Another pause. "Fine, but don't expect any gift out of me this year. Why don't you tell North that you'll catch up to him later; we might be here a while."

To Hermione's shock, presents dropped from thin air onto the already large pile underneath the Christmas tree. Before she could ask about it a gust of air blew up the chimney. "He shouldn't be too long. In the meantime, sit down. Everything will make sense soon." The rabbit sat down in one of the armchairs and she did the same.

A gust of cold air marked the return of the invisible guest. She heard a thump and a third armchair rocked onto its back two legs before settling on the floor once more. The rabbit waited a few moments for the air to settle.

"Alright, sheila, do you know what I am?" he asked. Hermione didn't hesitate in her response.

"A rabbit." Bunny glared at the chair that now had frost forming on it. He turned back to the witch.

"Wrong." Hermione made a noise of indignation. She wasn't used to people telling her she was wrong, especially when something was as blatantly obvious as a rabbit right in front of her.

"I am a pooka. Have you heard of them before?" Hermione began to shake her head, but then she remembered a passage she had read during her first year at Hogwarts while trying to find more information about Nicholas Flamel.

"Wait. There was something mentioned in a book (Notable Magical Names of Our Time)I read a while back. A wizard," she paused searching for the name. "Ombric, said he met one once. He even fought beside it on many occasions with a fairy and his apprentice. There wasn't much more than that in the book – I didn't believe a word of it because the tale was too farfetched.

Bunnymund's eyes seemed to soften at the mention of Ombric's name.

"It was real alright. Did it mention what I could do?"

"No, it was mostly about Ombr-wait. What _you_ could do?" Hermione realized she was on the verge of yelling at the pooka. She brought her voice back down. "That passage was dated hundreds of years ago! It couldn't possibly be about you!"

There was silence in the common room as Bunnymund decided how to approach the situation.

"Do you know about the childhood icons?" he asked.

Hermione was taken aback by the sudden change of subject, but she answered him anyways. "You mean like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunn- oh my god!" She pointed her finger right at the pooka's nose causing it to twitch. You're- you're the EASTER BUNNY?"

"Keep it down, sheila." Hermione ignored him.

"But you're _the_ Easter Bunny!"

"Yeah, but everyone calls me Bunnymund. The fairy in the story is Toothiana, but you'd recognize her as the Tooth Fairy. The apprentice that you read about is Santa and there's also the Sandman; he joined us a bit later on." He paused and a snowball hit his head causing him to glare at the chair again. "I haven't forgotten you but if you keep pissing me off, I might!

"Anyways, because I am a pooka, I can travel through time. As a bonus, I can also tell when people are meddling where they shouldn't meddle. That's why I showed up here; whatever you wanted to change in the past would have had some bad consequences."

Hermione couldn't see how keeping the broom from getting to Harry would change anything significantly. She told Bunnymund as much after telling him about the falling out she had between her and the boys. He thought about it and responded, "Well, even if it wasn't hexed, you'd be hiding what you had done from them. That would weigh heavily on your conscience, probably changing the way you'd act around them."

"They already hate me. Or they will in a few hours when I tell McGonagall about the broom," Hermione felt tears beginning to form. "They're my only friends – I can't lose them." Bunnymund was quiet for a bit.

"Frostbite is right. If they are really your friends, they will find a way to look past this one argument."

Hermione wiped away the tears from her face. "Who is Frostbite? You've mentioned him twice now."

"Do you believe everything I have told you so far? About me and the other Guardians?"

Hermione thought about it. Logic told this could all be some elaborate prank. Could Harry or Ron be under the invisibility cloak creating frost? No, they wouldn't have learned about elemental magic yet – that was sixth year work at least.

She resigned herself to the inevitable reality that the Easter Bunny was a time travelling pooka, and every other tale she grew up with in the muggle world was also real.

"Yes," she said with conviction.

"Then meet the fifth member of the Guardians, Jack Frost, spirit of winter." Bunnymund gestured to the chair that was still coated in frost. "He specializes in being an all-around pain."

A snowball appeared from thin air and flew towards the pooka who ducked to avoid the projectile. The snowball had to have come from somewhere. Hermione closed her eyes and focused like she did during a test. Bunny was having a one sided argument but she realised that it wasn't so one sided anymore.

"…think you're so special because you get a holiday! Well I've got news for you, cottontail! I give kids holidays whenever I want! I could make every day a snowday but I don't 'cause I'm a nice guy!"

Hermione opened her eyes and was shocked to see a teenager standing on the armchair pointing a staff at Bunnymund. He wore a blue hoodie coated in frost and his messy white hair stood out, especially in the dark common room.

"Mother Nature would probably kill you for that, kid, not to mention the other seasons." Bunnymund seemed rather calm despite his angry companion.

"Jack Frost?" She couldn't believe it. Surely he hadn't been there the whole time. The teen looked down at her, his scowl replaced by a wild grin as he bought his staff close to himself.

"That brings the total to twelve! I'll catch up with you yet, Bunny!"

"Twelve? I thought you were at nine – the Burgess kids, the Canadian girl and then that one in Russia," Bunnymund was smiling for his friend, knowing how good the feeling of getting a new believer was. Jack felt Hermione's belief a lot more that Bunny did. It was like a raindrop on an ant compared to an elephant though he would never make that analogy to Jack's face.

"The one from Russia got two of his friends to believe in me! It was a pleasant shock when I visited him last year," Jack was now floating on air – literally. He glided over to Hermione and offered his hand. "Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hermione took his hand and, unsurprisingly, it was as cold as ice. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"That's a nice name," Bunnymund commented. Jack Frost turned on him.

"You mean you've been bugging her for how long now and you didn't even know her name? And I thought I had bad people skills." Jack was laughing at his friend. Bunnymund just shrugged.

"You should tell her what you told me. It'll probably mean more coming from you."

The joyous expression turned more sombre and it was as different as the night was from the day on the teen's face. He looked Hermione right in the eyes and she realized just how blue they were.

"Hermione, you shouldn't have to change anything that you've done in the past. Your friends will soon realize that you did what you did out of love for them. I'm not saying it will be tomorrow or even the day after that, but good friends always have a way of coming back to you." Jack's expression soured as if he was remembering something particularly painful. "I've made my fair share of mistakes which I would have changed in an instant if I could have. The point is what doesn't kill you needs to find a new tact because next time you'll be ready."

"That's not how the saying goes, Frosty." Bunnymund said.

"It's my pep-talk and I'll say what I want!" Jack glared at Bunnymund and with a wave of his staff, a snow cloud formed over the pooka. Bunnymund glared at Jack and swiped the cloud with his paw only to have it reform.

Jack laughed and put his cold hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Stay strong kid. You've got a good brain in your head and an even better heart in your chest." He gave a grin that sparkled like freshly fallen snow and then he looked around the room as if entering it for the first time. "You've been busy, Kangaroo. There must be at least a dozen flowers around here." He brushed the daisy by the fireplace with his foot and it turned into ice.

"There's five. I'm surprised you don't know how to count – you've had three hundred years to learn." Bunny was still swiping at the cloud with his paw but to no avail. Eventually he chose to ignore it. "Hermione, I know you have a few more hours living in the past but we've got to go. Snowflake needs to help North, er, Santa deliver some more presents and I've got my own job monitoring stuff at the Pole while he's out and about."

Jack knelt down and picked the frozen daisy out of the floorboards. He bowed gracefully to the Gryffindor student. "Merry Christmas, Hermione. I hope things turn out alright with you and your friends. I'll stop by in a few weeks with a blizzard that will knock your cauldron over so keep an eye out for me." And with that the spirit was blown up the chimney by the wind and, as Hermione realized he couldn't have fit under normal circumstances, probably some help from a certain wizard's apprentice. The ice covering the fire melted and it ignited once more throwing shadows over the room and replacing the cold of the winter spirit with a wave of warmth.

"He really does know what he's talking about, you know." Bunnymund stood up and shook the snow off of his fur. The snow cloud had disappeared with Jack. Hermione looked at him and was once again overwhelmed at how big he was. "Your friends will begin to see things the way you saw them and then realize that you wanted the best for them." He placed his large paw on her shoulder, much like Jack did, but his touch was warm. He turned away and was about to open a tunnel when Hermione stopped him.

"Jack said that he was the Guardian of Fun. Well, what are the others Guardians of?" Bunny smiled.

"Nothing gets past you, sheila. Well, us Guardians all have purposes. Tooth collects teeth because they hold memories of childhood, North gives ankle-bitters wonder with his presents, Sandy gives good dreams at night and of course Frostbite spreads fun through snow."

"And you?"

"I am the Guardian of Hope." And with a grin, Bunnymund disappeared into his tunnel and only a flower was left in its place. It was a beautiful chrysanthemum. Hermione slouched in the armchair and felt the weight of what had just happened fall on her. The Easter Bunny was real. Santa did bring presents every Christmas and Jack Frost wasn't just a figure of speech.

As the sun began to rise she noticed the flowers still sprouting from the floorboards and the scorch mark on the wall from when she shot a spell at Bunnymund. She was almost didn't want to pick the flowers because they were the proof that what had happened just a few hours before was real.

Eventually she did pick them and put them in a vase that was sitting on a desk, filling it with water using her wand. Surprisingly, the daisy that Jack had frozen was still icy. She tucked it gently in her pocket and repaired the damaged wallpaper of the common room.

She ducked into the bathroom as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She stayed there until she heard the three of them leaving for lunch in the Great Hall.

With heavy feet she left the bathroom and walked up to her dorm. She figured she had around two hours until dinner was over and she could take a nap – it had been a long, exhausting night. Hermione had already casted a wake-up spell but before she could flop onto her bed she noticed a wicker basket lying on top of her covers. Inside was chocolate eggs of all sizes and a note.

She picked up the envelope and broke the seal. She noted it had a large "G" imprinted in the red wax. The letter read,

"Dear Hermione, I hope your Christmas is going well. Bunny told me what had happened and that you might need cheering up. So, me and other Guardians got together and filled basket with good things. My yetis made cookies which can be found in red bags. (Elves made cookies in green bags, but I recommend throwing those in fire so you do not get sick.) Tooth insisted on giving you toothbrush even though I told her your parents make sure you take good care of your teeth. The chocolates are from Bunny of course. Sandy will bring you good dreams tonight and Jack, well, he says your present will come in few weeks. (Probably snowstorm. I have lined basket with scarf for you.) Merry Christmas Hermione and keep believing!

"Sincerely, The Guardians.

"Ps. If you need someone, you are welcome to send owl letters to any of us. We will get back to you as soon as we are able."

Hermione felt a warm sensation fill her as she read the note. She found everything as North had said. She took out the green bags and after opening to look inside, set them aside to toss into the common room fire. They were roughly the consistency of rocks with everything from raisins to cereal in them. She ate some chocolates and safe cookies and slipped the scarf out of the basket. It was the same shade of blue as Jack's sweater with frost designs. She wrapped it around her neck and sighed. The next few days wouldn't be easy, but she would manage.

Instead of lying in her bed, Hermione sat at her desk and began writing a note for the Guardians to thank them for the basket. She couldn't fight the grin that parted her lips. It had been years since she had written a letter to Santa.

* * *

I've had this in my head for a while, and I actually got around to posting it! There may be a sequel or there may not be, depending on how lazy I get. Reviews are fantastic, so are faves! I'm open to any suggestions :)


	2. Jack Frost 1

"That snow's really coming down."

Hermione jolted as Professor Vector, for the first time in Hermione's memory, broke off from her lecture. She was looking out the window with mild surprise on her face, which was akin to gawking on any other person.

Hermione rubbed her eyes quickly, trying to brush off her sleepiness to no avail. She wondered if Professor Vector, or any of her teachers, had noticed how lately she struggled to stay awake for their lectures.

She glanced at the window when everyone gasped at the spiralling frost glowing from the centre of the glass and she quickly put her hand over her mouth to stop from crying out.

Jack Frost was standing on the narrow window ledge like it wasn't just a few inches wide. The frost was swirling from where his breath touched the glass and he had the largest grin on his face. He waved at her and she gave a tentative wave back, hoping her classmates were too focussed on the window to notice her.

Jack shifted himself so his face was in one of the few visible spots left on the glass. "What time?" he mouthed. Hermione grabbed her quill and a scrap piece of parchment.

"6:30. Entrance Hall."

Jack nodded and looked downright sad at the prospect of waiting half an hour for her to be done class. Then his eyes lit up as if he had a brilliant idea. He blew into his palm and a glowing snowflake formed.

With a wave of his skinny hand, the snowflake slipped through the window and began gently floating towards Professor Vector. Hermione held her breath as it gracefully landed right on the witch's nose. The professor blinked a few times and then smiled, causing anyone who was not looking out the window to jerk back in their desks. Professor Vector did not smile. Ever. Unless she was announcing a pop-quiz or handing back a poorly done homework assignment.

"You know, you students have been working very hard all semester. I don't think tonight's homework is really necessary. We can cover everything we haven't done today on Monday. You are all free to go."

No one moved a muscle. This couldn't be happening. They must have all fallen asleep. But the slight smile on Professor Vector's face was something they couldn't have even imagined in their wildest fantasies. Hermione wasn't sure who started it, but a round of applause and cheering erupted in the classroom. Hermione glanced at the window and saw Jack laughing.

"Now, then?" Hermione mouthed at the Guardian.

Jack nodded and fell backwards off the window ledge. She quickly gathered her books into her already full bag and she left the classroom in a flurry.

Hermione rushed through to the entrance hall, slightly out of breath. Jack's blue sweater wasn't hard to see among the black Hogwarts robes. His staff was held over both his shoulders and he seemed captivated by the four hourglasses that tallied the amount of points each house had. She noticed him paying particular attention to Ravenclaw's, probably admiring the sapphires that almost matched his sweater.

He didn't show any signs of noticing her until she was right behind him.

"Thanks for that, Jack."

The frost-spirit glanced over his shoulder with a big smirk on his face. "I'm always happy to make kids happy. You know," He gestured to the door "I'm lucky that giant fellow came in when he did. The whole castle seems to be on lock-down from my storm."

Hermione didn't miss the note of pride in his voice. She was about to respond when her stomach growled, cutting her off.

"I guess that means you want supper now." Jack smiled and Hermione felt herself mirroring it. She didn't realize it until now, but she hadn't been smiling very much lately. Ever since Christmas, actually. Her smile faltered for a moment, but she started walking towards the Great Hall before Jack could question it. She could feel his cold presence following her into the Hall.

It was fairly full and Jack had hopped into the air to keep from being walked through. Hermione dodged her way through the crowd towards the two familiar faces out of habit before stopping and sitting at the first open spot she saw at the table.

"And who might you be?" Hermione looked up, startled to see Nearly Headless Nick, but he wasn't speaking to her.

She, like the other students around her, glanced to where the ghost was looking.

"Who's he talking -?"

"- gone mad?"

"- can't have lost his brain if he's still got his head."

Hermione, unlike the other Gryffindors, could see the startled look on Jack Frost's face. To his credit, he was taking a ghost being able to see him quite well. Then again, with the beings he called friends, it wasn't all that surprising.

He did seem to be tongue tied though.

"Uhh…Frack Jost – I mean – Jack Frost," he extended his hand to the ghost. They shook hands, the Gryffindor ghost's eyes widened in surprise when his hand did not pass through Jack's.

"Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, at your service. I have not seen you here at Hogwarts before."

Jack glanced down at the students who were gaping at their house ghost who was apparently speaking with no one.

"Err, why don't we talk outside of the hall for a second, Nick. I'll explain everything." The ghost followed Jack out with confusion written plainly on his face. Everyone turned back to their food, whispering in not-so-quiet voices about theories of a ghost's mental stability and if it changed over time.

Hermione tried to ignore the ridiculous theories. A ghost stayed in the same state throughout their death. Poltergeists were their own breed of spectres and it was ridiculous to think an average ghost would simply become crazy. She huffed and began loading her plate with mashed potatoes and gravy.

She ate quickly, hoping to get out of the hall quickly. She could hear Ron's obnoxious laughter and watched Seamus waving his arms wildly, recounting a story that probably began, contained, or ended with an explosion. She felt a tug in her chest when Harry removed his glasses to wipe a tear of joy from his face.

She glanced down at her potatoes, and suddenly, she wasn't very hungry anymore.

"Can you grab me one of those buns?" Hermione nearly jumped out of her seat as Jack leaned over her shoulder. He had an almost innocent look on his face as he pointed to the basket of buns on the table. They had been toasted and covered in butter and Jack was looking at them like he had never seen anything like them before. "And maybe a piece of that toffee? And – Man in the Moon, are those peanut butter cookies?"

Hermione grabbed a new plate and began loading it up with whatever Jack pointed out. Sweets, pastries and whatever else the Guardian thought looked interesting, were heaped generously on the plate. Hermione left the table with some students staring at her back. "They will probably blame it on the stress of school or something," she thought mildly.

She passed the plate to Jack once they were out of the hall. She led him up the staircase and he immediately hopped onto the railing beside her. He was oddly quiet as he put one thing after another into his mouth, every so often giving a noise of surprise or delight.

"I can't believe you are so skinny if you eat like this all the time," Hermione said. Jack had almost eaten half of the plate's contents. He grinned around the muffin he was eating. Tooth had engraved manners into him since he became a Guardian, so he struggled to chew and swallow before answering her.

"I actually don't need to eat, but when the food is this good, it's hard not to. How do you guys fit into your robes if you have meals like this every day? I've only ever seen food this good when North makes a feast at Christmas for us Guardians! Well, the yetis do the baking, but still! I might just live at Hogwarts if-"

"Yetis?" Hermione cut him off because she wasn't sure she would be able to get in a word otherwise. The sugar must have been getting to the immortal because he was speaking faster and louder.

"Yeah! They make the toys. Most people think it's the elves, but that makes no sense because they barely reach a foot off the ground and they can't tell their bells from their feet. I guess I thought the same for a while so it isn't the weirdest thing to think, but –"

"Niveous solum."

"What?" Jack glanced at Hermione who had stopped walking and glanced down with wide eyes as the portrait on the wall swung open.

"It's the password for the door. Everyone's still eating supper, so it should be empty for a while yet."

Jack stepped off the railing and almost floated to the ground.

"You know dear," the Fat Lady said as Hermione led Jack through the passage, "You should probably take a break from all that studying. It seems to be getting to your head.

Hermione, like every other Gryffindor student, ignored her.

True to her prediction, the common room was empty except for the glowing hearth. Hermione waved her wand and reduced the intensity of the flames.

Jack nodded his thanks but he made no move to sit down. Hermione noticed that he was tapping his foot sending frost across the stone floors. He seemed like he was about to bounce off the walls. "You know, eating all of that food probably wasn't the best idea I ever had. I'm going to go fly a few laps around the school, race a few owls and give everything a new dusting of snow. Just leave a window unlatched for me and I'll get back in once I've spent most of my energy. Okay?" It took Hermione a few moments to understand his fast-paced speech.

"Alright. I'll probably be by that desk over in the corner. I have a lot of homework to do." Jack made a face and Hermione frowned. "Homework isn't that terrible! It's an important part of school!"

Jack rolled his eyes and smirked. "Hermione, I'm the Guardian of Fun, not of 'Sitting Inside and Writing.' Speaking of which," He opened a window, "I'll be back in ten." Hermione could hear his cheer of elation as the wind picked him up and she followed him with her eyes until he disappeared into the snowstorm.

Sighing at the empty common room, Hermione waved her wand to close the window, but left it unlatched. She also returned the fire to its original intensity before retrieving her homework from her dorm and settling at the desk in the common room.

Author Note: I am so sorry for the wait! It has been a busy year and I have been terribly lazy. If you're in University or College, I hope your finals went well! To everyone else, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year :)


	3. Jack Frost 2

It was about half an hour later when a strong gust of wind opened the window of the Gryffindor common room. The students who were sitting by the fire playing gobstones let out shrieks at the sudden breeze, and Hermione glanced up from her textbook just in time to see a certain spirit slip into the room. Not a second later, an older student barely looking up from where he read his book on a couch waved his wand to shut the window.

The Gryffindors settled down once more, thanking the senior student and thinking no more of the incident, nor noticing the added presence in the room. Jack Frost brushed off some snow from his hair, the flakes falling both on the floor and onto one student playing gobstones who strangely began lobbing the stones with renewed vigour. Looking around the room, he located Hermione, who sat at one of the solid oak desks. He smiled as he began walking towards her. "It's definitely best to stay inside right now."

As he approached, Hermione glanced behind Jack and eyed the wet footprints he left behind as the snow clinging to him melted in the warm common room. She decided that cleaning up the mess would only draw more attention to it, so she let the puddles be. Mindful of snow dripping off of him, Jack pushed his hair back before leaning over Hermione's desk. "What are you working on?"

"I'm taking notes on a supplementary reading for transfiguration." Hermione spoke in a low voice so anyone overhearing would just think she was just trying to make sense of a passage in her book. "We're going to work on the 'Lapifors' spell tomorrow," Jack took one look at the textbook and then laughed.

"Man, if I could do magic, I would turn all the flowers in Aster's Warren into rabbits. The look on his face would be priceless!" A smile lit up Hermione's face. From what she'd seen, Bunnymund was kind, but he was downright serious compared to the spirit of fun. Hundreds of rabbits hopping around his home would certainly be – Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by new images of a disused corner of the library. With a start she realized that the new equations that Vector had just covered suddenly made sense, and she knew that her Arithmancy homework and textbook would be found in a suit of armour on the third floor.

A could touch on Hermione's shoulder brought her surroundings back into focus. Her eyes became onto Jack's eyes which were wide with concern. Hermione only realized that Jack had spoken when he stopped, looking expectant.

"Uhh…sorry, Jack. Did you say something?"

"Are you okay? You spaced out for a bit, and now you seem a lot more tired than you were before. And trust me, that's saying a lot."

Hermione turned back to the desk and began fiddling with the chain around her neck. "I use my time-turner to go to all of my classes, but it's also the only way I can get all of my homework done."

Jack bit back his opinion about homework, and instead brushed the impressive mountain of books and parchment on Hermione's desk aside with a sweep of his staff and a gentle breeze from the wind. After clearing a space, he hopped onto the desk and sat down. "So, that just now was your past self essentially catching up with you? I mean, now you have a few more hours' worth of memories?" Hermione nodded. "That's a lot of stress for you. What if your other self disappears into thin air surrounded by people?"

Hermione grimaced. "There's been a few times when I've lost track of time and almost disappeared in front of my friends or as I'm leaving a room. It has taken a lot of practice, but I can finish my work with time to spare, and then I put my parchment and textbooks somewhere in the castle so that I can retrieve them later."

A gravelly meow interrupted their conversation as Crookshanks leapt onto the desk and began purring and rubbing himself against Jack's knee. Jack absentmindedly began scratching the cat's ears, trying to digest how a thirteen year-old who should be enjoying the fun things in life was time-travelling with casual ease.

"Wait," Hermione said, interrupting his thoughts. "How can Crookshanks see you?"

Jack glanced down at the mangy fur ball of a cat and shrugged.

"I have never really thought about it; animals just always see spirits like me. I guess it's because animals follow the assumption that if it seems like something is present, then it is. People especially adults tend to explain away things they don't understand. Just like in the Great Hall with Nick and just now with the window. When people get older they tend to follow the principle 'seeing is believing,' when it's often 'believing is seeing.'

"Crookshanks probably noticed you staring at an empty space and talking to it. He knows you're not crazy, so the next conclusion was that there was someone you were with. It's not so different from the belief of children, but it's more of the cherry on the cake than the driving force of us Guardians." Abruptly, Crookshanks stopped purring and let out a spitting hiss as he jumped out of Jack's lap. In the blink of an eye, the cat was across the room and pawing at something under a large wooden cabinet. Hermione had barely gotten up out of her chair to chase her cat when a different ginger blur came running from the direction of the dormitory room stair cases.

Ron Weasley stopped for just one moment before noticing the cabinet to his right and the intent that Crookshanks had on whatever was under it, and he seemed to have a good idea of what _it _was.

"Scabbers! Get away from him you mop with legs!" Ron pushed Crookshanks out of the way in order to reach under the cabinet and pull out what looked to be a trembling ball of fur. Ignoring Crookshank's meow of disapproval and the growing number of eyes in the common room that were watching the exchange, Ron stomped over to where Hermione still stood, her feet still glued to the floor beside the desk.

"Hermione, for the last _bloody_ time, keep your cat away from Scabbers!"

"Shove off Ron, it was your fault that Scabbers got out of our room in the first place." With a start, Hermione realized that Harry was standing almost right beside her, and she could hear the exasperation in his voice. "You didn't close the door all of the way."

"Don't defend that menace, Harry! No other cat in this castle had even looked twice at Scabbers before she bought that hellion!"

Seamus popped his head out of the doorway to the stairwell. "Exploding Snap, boys. I'm not losing this round just because your rat likes to take off."

The fire that burned in Ron noticeably reduced from an inferno to a flame. "We'll be right up, mate." Sending Hermione one last smoldering glare, he disappeared up the staircase. Harry stayed where he was standing until Ron was out of listening distance. He turned to Hermione and he looked downright embarrassed.

"I'm sorry that he's blaming you for his rat running loose, Hermione. I know it's not really your fault, it's just that Ron's had Scabbers for Merlin knows how long, and he's grown quite attached to the ruddy thing."

Hermione let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. "Thanks, Harry." And if Harry noticed the way Hermione's voice cracked, or how her eyes began to water as he gave her a quick comforting embrace, he didn't say anything.

"HARRY! GET YOUR CHOSEN ASS UP HERE!" Seamus' shout echoed through the stairwell and Hermione couldn't help but crack a small smile at the nick-name. Harry just looked irritated as he rubbed his hand on his forehead. He made to walk towards the staircase, but Hermione grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"The due date for Flitwick's essay on freezing spells is coming up. I could give yours a once-over if you'd like. I mean, I'm not saying that yours would be bad without my help, it's just that I thought-" Harry gave his friend an gentle smile.

"I'd like that. If you have time, that is. I know you're really busy. Maybe at lunch tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. Have fun playing Snap."

Once Harry disappeared, the common room buzzed with conversation. Hermione tried not to listen, but still she heard badly concealed whispers about the trio and what must have happened to make them so distant. Her eyes welled up as she thought about how a broom and a rat were tearing her apart from her friends.

After coming to a decision in her head, it was with silent efficiency that she gathered up all of her books and parchment and stuffed them into her bag. She subtly gestured to Jack to follow her as she exited the common room through the portrait of the Fat Lady. She closed the portrait door behind them after Jack flew out, leaving behind them new queries about where the sudden breeze had come from and if the window was actually shut all the way.

* * *

_Aaaand here it is! Chapter 3! Thanks for all of the favourites and follows, guys. I can't say how much it encourages me to keep on with this story. I hope to write one more chapter to finish up this story arc, but I don't really have any plans beyond that. So, if you guys have anything that you'd like to see from this story, fire me a message! (please note that I don't plan on writing any romance, so keep that in mind if you suggest something.) I hate making you guys wait so long for updates, but I hope that if I continue this story, that my time in between updates will improve. Love you guys! - Kristen_


	4. Jack Frost 3

The empty corridors made Hogwarts seem darker than usual; even more so after leaving the brightly lit common room. But as Hermione led Jack through the castle, her mood improved drastically from Jack's light hearted commentary on the things they passed. Soon the thoughts of gossiping Gryffindors and Ron's anger lost their sharp edges and she once again felt relaxed, and for the first time in ages, she felt genuinely happy.

As it turned out, the portrait wizards and witches could not see Jack, but the painted animals could, and were obviously intrigued as to how this boy was flying. Some of the animals also captivated Jack, and his attention was caught by a giraffe. His fascination surprised Hermione until she realized that Jack had probably never been to Africa except to the mountains, or the rare snowfall elsewhere on the continent. The long necked animal must have seemed fantastical to Jack.

In the muted colours of the castle, it was easy to see Jack's blue sweater slip into a corridor, following the giraffe. Quickly calculating which stairs would take her to where Jack had wandered, Hermione followed.

Like all corridors, this one was lit by torches and, although there weren't many, portraits as well. But Jack was no longer chasing the giraffe – he was standing stock-still in the middle of the hallway.

"Jack, are you okay?" Hermione asked quietly, but her voice was carried easily by the stone walls. Her answer came not from Jack, but the blonde haired girl whose tilted head was now visible, looking _around_ Jack at her.

"Hello Hermione," the girl said in a dream-like manner.

"Oh! Hello…Luna, right?" The strange girl nodded. Hermione remembered that she was a friend of Ginny. She had also seen Luna some nights while she was on her way back to the Gryffindor dorms after long nights in the library, wandering the halls late at night and talking to herself. "You can see Jack too?"

"Yes, I often see spirits that others can't see. My daddy says that I get it from my mother." Jack made a sound of realization.

"_That's_ why you can see me! I've heard about people like you! North calls your gift 'clairvoyance.' You're born believing in what most people can't see."

Luna nodded. "So, how did you meet Hermione?" she turned to the Gryffindor. "I don't mean to offend you, but I wouldn't have thought you were still a believer in the Guardians." Jack's eyes widened when he realized that Luna was asking him for the story. Hermione's hand reached up to clutch the time turner beneath her robes and subtly shook her head at Jack. He nodded slightly showing he had gotten the message.

"You know, we met by chance. She ran into the Easter Bunny a while back and Aster – the Easter Bunny – told her that I was with him and Hermione started believing in me so she could see me too. I came to Hogwarts to visit because you guys were due for a good storm anyways." The half-lie slid easily out of Jack's mouth and it seemed to be enough for Luna.

"Will you be staying at Hogwarts long?" Jack paused to think about it. A gentle breeze, much stronger than the usual drafts caused the torches to flicker. Jack nodded as if answering something said.

"No, there's a few other places I need to hit before tomorrow, and the wind says I should get a move on." He smiled at Luna. "It was nice to meet you. It's been a pleasure, and I'll be sure to visit next time I come around."

"It was nice to meet you too, Jack. Watch out for feandras while you're flying. They can be a bother," Luna nodded sagely.

"Sure will. See you!" Jack turned back the way that they had come. Hermione gave an awkward wave to Luna. Despite seeing her around the castle, she had never really spoke with her before.

"Bye, Luna. Have a good night."

"You too. Sleep well." With that, Luna turned down another hallway and disappeared from sight.

"Jack," Hermione asked when she caught up to the spirit, "what is a feandra?"

"Haven't a clue."

* * *

After Hermione watched Jack leave the castle through the window of an empty classroom, she retired to the common room, packing up all of her books and lugging them up to her dormitory. She played her evening with the winter spirit threw her head as she got dressed for bed, but for some reason, it wasn't the blue and white that she saw when her head hit the pillow, but a bright golden-yellow.

Puzzled, Hermione opened her eyes only to find herself not in the girl's dormitory at all, or even in her own bed. She was standing on an island made of golden sand. Despite the dark sky, the sand was warm under her feet. With a jolt she realized that a small man was standing in front of her. He was the same colour as the sand around him.

His face lit up when their eyes met and he waved. Around him, the sand moved, floating gently on an unseen breeze. He gestured to the sand and then pointed at himself.

Hermione couldn't figure out why of all the things to dream about, she was imagining this. Her imagination was out doing itself tonight. But then she remembered her discussion with Bunnymund that Christmas night and everything clicked into place.

"Sandy?"

* * *

_AN: Man oh man, has this been a long time coming! Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. If there's any grammar or spelling issues or what have you, just mention it in the comments. I didn't edit as much as I usually do. _


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